Pre-holiday checklist: How to secure your home while you’re away

Instead of looking forward to the relaxing days ahead in the mountains or by the sea, nagging doubts start creeping into the back of your mind. Did I close the garage? What about the windows? Did I turn off the cooker? A quality security system gives you genuine peace of mind.

Prevention you can handle yourself

Before you set off, there are a few things you can do without any technology at all – just a handful of common-sense steps.

• Secure the weak points. Check all your doors and windows, including the ones you don’t normally use (side entrances, the garage, the cellar). A spare key hidden under the doormat or a flowerpot for the grandmother who’s coming to water the plants while you’re away isn’t really hidden at all. An experienced burglar knows exactly where to look. It’s far better to hand spare keys over in person to someone you trust (a family member or a friend).
• Keep valuables out of sight. Store jewellery, electronics and important documents in a safe, or at the very least tuck them away in a locked drawer. Anything visible through a window from the street is an open invitation to thieves.
• Make the house look lived-in. An empty house is a tempting target for burglars. Ask a neighbour to collect your post from the letterbox regularly, along with any newspapers left at the door. A full letterbox gives away your absence faster than anything else. Set timers on your lights so they switch on and off at irregular times, rather than at the same hour every evening.
• Social media can wait. Resist the temptation to post holiday photos in real time. Share your pictures once you’re back – there’s no need to make your absence from home public knowledge.
• An emergency contact. Ask a neighbour or friend to check on your property regularly. Give them a key and your contact details.

Eliminate false alarms

False alarms are a nuisance for you and your neighbours alike. Before you leave, check that all your sensors are clean and correctly positioned. A motion detector aimed at a spot where a curtain sways in the draught, or a sensor near the air conditioning, can set off alerts several times a night – completely unnecessarily.

Caution alone isn’t enough – rely on a quality alarm

An older security system can still do its basic job, but modern solutions take protection and user comfort to a whole new level. Today’s technology offers not only round-the-clock oversight of your home, but above all invaluable freedom. Thanks to smart apps, you have your entire home under control right there on your smartphone, wherever you happen to be.

Stay on top of everything with the MyJABLOTRON app. It’s a cloud-based solution based in the Czech Republic that lets you keep your home literally at your fingertips. You can watch live camera footage, receive instant alerts whenever there’s movement or a door opens, and respond to the situation in real time.

Presence simulation is another great ally while you’re away.

Through the app, you can remotely control your lighting and blinds, so the house looks lived-in from the outside even when there’s no one home.

So that you can enjoy your holiday with complete peace of mind, the JABLOTRON customer line lets you temporarily adjust your intervention instructions before you leave. If you’ll be away from home and someone other than usual should be contacted in an emergency, or if you’ve changed your locks, let us know in good time.

By updating your contact details and access information, you ensure that in the event of an incident, both the verification of the situation and the intervention itself take place without any unnecessary delays.

Don’t rely on the neighbours – only an Alarm Receiving Centre delivers true peace of mind

Good relations with the neighbours are priceless. A willing neighbour will water your plants while you’re on holiday, collect your post or cast an eye over the house now and then. But when a crisis hits – a break-in, a fire or a burst pipe – goodwill isn’t enough. This is where you need the immediate intervention of professionals who know exactly how to act.

An Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) provides round-the-clock professional monitoring of your home, holiday cottage or business. When the alarm goes off, you’re not left on your own with nothing but a notification on your phone.

An operator assesses the situation in an instant, arranges the immediate dispatch of a response unit and, if needed, calls the police or fire brigade. Hand the responsibility over to professionals who know how to react correctly in those crucial seconds.

An alarm is about more than security

JABLOTRON does far more than just protect you from burglars. It’s a system that makes your life easier by automating your home:

• Thermostats and energy savings: through the app you can control your heating and set the ideal temperature so that your home welcomes you back with pleasant warmth.
• Protection against water leaks: you can connect PEVEKO shut-off valves and flood detectors to the alarm. If a leak occurs, the system lets you know and can automatically shut off the water supply. That way you avoid awkward phone calls from neighbours telling you you’ve flooded their home, or repairs to your own warped flooring.
• Remote-controlled blinds: controlling your blinds through the app isn’t just about convenience – it’s also part of presence simulation and protects your interior from the sun on hot summer days when you’re not at home.

Enjoy a worry-free holiday

A little preparation before you leave always pays off. Check the locks, hide your valuables, set the system and don’t forget to update your contact details and intervention instructions.

With a JABLOTRON system and the MyJABLOTRON app you have your home under control from anywhere. And with a connection to an Alarm Receiving Centre, you know that if a real problem arises, someone is genuinely taking action – even if you happen to be sitting on a beach with no signal.

Enjoy a relaxing holiday. Your home will be in good hands.

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